The Accident
by Miss Pipinpadalopsicopolous
Summary: What happens if Sam falls into another coma? Will her friendships last? Will she wake up? And if she does, will she remember them? Rated T for swearing. Rating might change. OOC
1. The Accident

**Disclaimer: **I do not own PS. I do own the plot.

Sam's thoughts are in _italics_

ENJOY!

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**The Accident**

Sam awoke to the sun shining brightly through her window. She looked over at her clock; the numbers told her that it was 8.

_Shit! _She thought ._It can't be that late._

Sam leapt out of bed and rushed around gathering her clothes. If she didn't hurry she would be late for her ride with Jen. Today was the first day of summer vacation and she was looking forward to spending the day with Jen and her horse Ace.

After Sam was dressed and had brushed her teeth and combed her hair she walked downstairs to the kitchen. Gram was there making eggs and bacon.

She looked up and saw me. "Oh good morning Sam, I was just about to go and wake you up." she said in an overly cheery voice.

"Good morning Gram."

"Before you go do your chores have some breakfast." She put a plate full of eggs and bacon in front of her.

"Thanks Gram."

Gram loved cooking. It's her favorite thing to do on the ranch. Sam was fine with eating just toast but Gram loved cooking big breakfasts.

After Sam had finished eating she went outside to do her morning chores. She checked the chicken coop for eggs and collected them. She left the basket full of eggs on the front porch and knocked so Gram would know they were there.

Next she went into the barn to clean out Ace and Sweethearts stall. It wasn't hard so it didn't take long.

She looked at her watch. It was 8:30 already. _Shit, Shit, Shit!!!_ No matter how fast she got Ace ready she was going to be late. She just hoped Jen would understand.

She ran to the barn and got Ace's saddle. As she was exiting the barn she heard hoofs on the bridge. She looked up and saw her best friend Jake Ely coming toward her on his bad tempered mare, Witch.

"Hey Jake," Sam called to him. "What's up?"

"Other than the sky, not much." Jake had always been a bit of a smart ass.

"Well I'm glad we got that all cleared up," she replied coolly.

She went back to focusing on Ace. He was with all the other horses in the 10 acre pasture. He looked up from his grazing when she called his name and trotted over.

"Hey Ace. You ready for a ride with Jen?" Sam asked him.

He bobbed his head up and down as if in agreement. She snapped a lead rope on his halter and opened the gate. Sam led him over to the fence and cross tied him. Ace was a good horse but he played tricks when he thought her mind was wandering.

Sam brushed Ace out before putting the saddle on him. While she got him ready she felt Jake staring at her. Finally having had enough she turned around.

"Did you need something Jake?" Sam asked heatedly.

"No," He replied.

"Then why are you staring at me?" she demanded.

"I wasn't. You're just being paranoid."

"Whatever," she replied turning back to Ace. After he was saddled up she got ready to mount. Just before she did, however, Jake spoke.

"Hey Brat, could we talk for a minute?" he asked sounding nervous.

That's weird Jake is never nervous. She paused a second and the nodded. They walked over to the front porch and sat. She waited for him to say something but he didn't.

"Jake, what did you want to talk about?" Sam asked him.

"It's just…….. I'm worried about you," he said.

That caught Sam off guard. She hadn't expected him to say that. Sam knew that ever since she had her accident that Jake had blamed himself. She knew that he wanted to protect her.

"Jake, it's been almost three years since the accident. I'm fine."

"Yeah I know that Brat."

"I've told you a million times not to call me that!" Sam said irritated.

"Sorry," he said not sounding sorry at all.

"Look if that's all you wanted to talk about, I'm gonna go. I'm already late meeting Jen," Sam said standing up.

"She's actually what I wanted to talk about," he said.

"Why?" Sam asked bewildered. Jake and Jen never got along so it made no sense for him to want to talk about her.

"I've just noticed how much she's changed since she started dating Slocum. She barely pays attention to you and when she does she's a bitch. I can see that it hurts you and that bothers me." Jake said all of this in a rush but with a lot of passion.

It took Sam a few seconds to recover from the shock of what Jake had said, but when she did she blew up at him.

"How the heck can you say those things Jake Ely?" she screamed at him. "She's my best friend! I know that you don't like her but that's no reason to say those mean things! You always act so high and mighty but you're still just a kid."

He stared at her for a second in shock, and then he snapped.

"She's a bitch Sam! She doesn't care about you like she used to. You mean nothing to her. Face it, she's turning into Rachel's clone and you know it! Stop acting like the things she says and does doesn't bother you because I can see how much she hurts you. Why the hell would you hang out with someone like that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Sam retorted. "I'm not gonna just dump my best friend because she got a boyfriend. God Jake, I never thought you were as shallow as to judge someone that you don't even know. Get the heck over yourself!"

He laughed bitterly. "Get over myself? Why don't you get over yourself! You act as if you know what's right for everyone around you. You act like you understand everyone so well. Guess what Sam, you know nothing about us. You can't see past what you want to try to understand what we want. God, you're a bigger bitch than Jen is. You've changed Sam........... and I don't know if I want to be friends with the new you."

Sam felt as if she'd just been punched in the gut by a professional boxer. She took a couple of steps back as tears filled her eyes making it hard to see. That had hurt and Jake knew it would. She walked away from him toward Ace. She mounted him and looked back at Jake.

"It's nice to know how you really feel Jake," she choked out. "I'm glad to know what you want now so I can give it to you. Consider our friendship over. And you, Jake Ely, can go to hell."

She had said all of this while holding back sobs. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't hold them back for much longer. But before she completely broke down she looked him in the eyes. She saw how surprised he was. He'd never expected this from her.

"Goodbye Jake," she said before she galloped out of Riverbend Ranch.

As Ace galloped she cried. She couldn't seem to stop the tears. It finally became so hard for her to breathe and function that she stopped Ace. Sam just sat there and cried into Ace's mane. She kept on crying until she could cry no more.

Deep down Sam knew why she had cried so much. She didn't want to admit it, to herself or anyone else. But she knew she had to. She knew that if she didn't admit it that the pain would just keep coming back.

She sighed and thought the words that she knew she would never speak. _I'm in love with Jake Ely, and it sucks. _

She sighed again she had a major headache and was exhausted for a reason she couldn't, or didn't want to understand. But it didn't matter how tired she was. She had to go meet Jen.

Sam looked at her watch and swore. It was 9:15. She was really late and she knew Jen would be mad.

She urged Ace into a gallop once more and steered him toward War Drum Flats. She and Jen had agreed to meet there because they were going to head up to Arroyo Azul.

As she and Ace neared the meeting place she saw Jen. As Ace galloped closer she saw how pissed off she was. She was looking at Sam like she was scum on the sidewalk.

"Why the hell are you so late?" She demanded as soon as I got close enough.

"I'm sorry Jen. I woke up late and then me and Jake got into a huge fight, and I guess I'm just a mess right now."

"Oh, what did you guys fight about?" she asked curiously.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now. Can we just ride for a while?"

"Sure," she replied.

We urged the horses into gallops and made our way towards Arroyo Azul. We reached in about fifteen minutes. We slowed the horses to walks and made our way through the canyons, trusting our horses to keep their footing.

While we walked Jen asked me again what me and Jake fought about.

"Well, you actually." Sam said in a low voice.

"Me!" Jen exclaimed. "What about me?"

"Well he called you a bitch and talked about how much you've changed," Sam told her.

Jen laughed a cold laugh. She didn't laugh like that before. "He has no idea what he's talking about. He's just some hick that is jealous of all the time we spend together. Forget about him."

"I can't just forget about him Jen. He was my best friend."

"Was. As in past tense. He obviously doesn't care about you just get over it and move on already. No need to be a whinny kid."

Sam jerked Ace to a stop. Jen startled by the sudden stop almost ran into us.

"What the hell Sam!" she exclaimed. "Why did you stop?"

"Jake was right about you! You are not the best friend that you used to be. You haven't been the same since you started dating Ryan and quite frankly im sick and tired of you looking down on me!" Sam practically screamed at her.

Jen was taken aback by the sudden outburst but recovered quickly. "I'd rather be a bitch than a worthless baby that's afraid to ride!" she screamed back.

That was a low blow and she knew it. "Go to hell Jen!"

"I'll see you there!" she retorted. Then she turned around and galloped away.

Ace was skittish after all of the yelling. Sam was calming him when the when the loudest thunder she had ever heard boomed around them. It seemed to echo, bouncing off the walls, making it louder.

Ace reared and then bolted. Sam tried to hold on but she couldn't get a good enough grip, so she fell. The fall took seconds but to Sam it felt like hours. She hit the ground back first. Then her head slammed back and she felt horrible pain, and then the darkness took her.

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Should I continue the story? R&R Please.

Talk to me about any comments, questions or concerns.


	2. Authors Note

**Authors note**

It's come to my attention that I am apparently using too much swearing. They are supposed to be ooc, but because of what you all said I will tone it down. There will still be swearing because that's how I decided to make the characters.

If there is anything else that you have a problem with then tell me.

I've gone back and edited some of the swearing out. I hope this appeases the readers that had problems with it.

I will probably have Chapter 2 up tonight.

Ciao for now.


	3. Waiting

**Disclaimer: **I do not own PS. I do own the fantastic plot though.

I kept the cursing to a minimum.

ENJOY!

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**Waiting**

Jake had been pacing for an hour wondering when Sam would get back from her ride with Jen so he could attempt to salvage their friendship. He felt absolutely horrible about what he had said to her. He didn't mean any of it; he simply said it in the heat of the moment. He was also worried about her because a big storm was rolling in.

Jake had always felt like he was a big brother to Sam. They'd been through so much together.

When Sam had her accident Jake had felt personally responsible. If he hadn't tried to rush her through that gate, Blackie wouldn't have felt trapped, and Sam wouldn't have fallen.

Despite her reassurances that it wasn't his fault, Jake still felt immensely guilty. That's why the fight with Sam was such a huge mistake. He had promised that he would protect her always.

Also, those brotherly feelings toward Sam had begun to change into something stronger. Jake was falling for her and he might have just ruined his chance with her.

He checked his watch and was amazed to see that another thirty minutes had passed.

A few minutes later Gram came out of the house and interrupted his pacing.

"Jake dear, I heard the fight that you and Sam had earlier and I'm concerned," Gram said hesitantly.

"I'm concerned too," Jake confessed to her. "I don't know how to fix this. I got mad and said horrible things to her. I don't think that she will ever forgive me. Heck, I wouldn't even forgive me."

I felt good for him to get all of this off of his chest. After saying all of this Jake could breathe easier. All of his feelings and thoughts had been suffocating him and he didn't even realize it.

"Oh sweetheart, she will forgive you. Sam has always had a very forgiving nature," Dram said soothingly.

"I know that but……" Jake stopped short because Ace had just ridden into the ranch and Sam wasn't on him.

Jake heard Gram gasp. "Oh dear!" she cried.

Jake ran over to Ace and grabbed the reins. He smoothed his hand over Ace's neck. It was damp with sweat. He looked at Ace's eyes and they rolled so that you could see white. Something had scared this horse.

"Gram," Jake said without looking away from the horse, "could you bring Ace into the barn and calm him down while I call Jen?"

"Of course Jake," she said taking the reins from his hand.

Jake ran into the house and dialed Jens number. While he waited for someone to pick up he thought about what could have happened to Sam. She might have fallen off again and she could be walking home right now. But she might have gotten hurt and she could be stranded out there. The thought terrified Jake.

Finally Jen answered the phone. "Hello."

"Jen its Jake, why aren't you with Sam? You were supposed to be riding together."

"Oh hi Jake," she said with a sneer in her voice. "Sam and I were riding together, that is, until she told me what you said about me. I'm surprised that you even have the nerve to call me."

"Where were you guys riding?" Jake asked starting to panic.

"Why do you care? After all you said that you didn't want to be friends with her. She was quite distraught when she met up with me. You know, you really should work on your temper."

"God damn it Jennifer! Just tell me where the hell you guys were riding!" Jake exclaimed. He had no time for this.

"We were riding in Arroyo Azul. But I left her an hour and a half ago, after she called me a bitch and ended out friendship. Why are you asking anyway? Isn't she home yet?"

"No Jen, she isn't. About five minutes ago Ace rode in and she wasn't on him. He's pretty shook up about something. If what you say is true, then she's been out there alone for an hour, if not longer," Jake told her putting as much venom in his voice as possible.

"Well, she probably just fell off again. She's probably on her way home right now," Jen said but she sounded like she was getting worried.

"With how rocky that terrain is she could have broken her neck!So you had better hope that shes okay because if anything happens to her I'm holding you personally responsible," Jake threatened.

Then he hug up before they started arguing and wasting more time. Jake ran back outside and saw Gram exiting the barn. He ran over to her.

"I put Ace back in his stall," she said. "He seems to be calming down."

"I called Jen she said that they were riding up in Arroyo Azul but they had a fight and she left about an hour and a half ago. You should go inside and call Brynna and tell her that Sam has been missing for an hour. She'll know what to do. In the meantime I'm going to ride Witch out there and see if we can find her."

Jake ran over to Witch and mounted. He turned her around and galloped out of Riverbend.

As he galloped he thought of all of the horrible things that he said to Sam. Horrible things that he hoped that he could take back when he found her.

Jake was halfway across War Drum Flats when it started raining. At first it was a light drizzle but seconds later it was downpour. He was having trouble seeing ahead of him but he pushed on trusting Witch to keep her footing.

After five more minutes Jake was nearing Arroyo Azul. As soon as the canyon walls were around him everything became more visible.

Jake slowed Witch to a walk and kept moving forward. After another five minutes he saw her. But she wasn't the only thing he saw. Jake also saw the Phantom.

He was standing over Sam protecting her from most of the rain. Sam was on the ground. It looked like she was out clod. Jake wouldn't know more until he got a good look at her.

Jake moved to dismount Witch. When he did and started walking towards Sam the Phantom bared his teeth and snapped them at me. But he kept moving towards them. Jake had to find out if Sam was all right.

When Jake was about three feet away the Phantom started backing away. Maybe it was out of fear or maybe he knew that I was just trying to help. Jake didn't know and it didn't matter.

He quickly walked over to Sam and knelt beside her. The first thing that Jake did was see if she had a pulse. She did! But it was faint.

_Thank God!_ Jake thought in relief. Next he gently probed her body for broken bones. Jake didn't feel any but it was hard to tell with the sodden clothes in the way.

The last thing he did was look at her head. Jake didn't dare move it because you aren't supposed to move fall victims. That's why the paramedics put a neck brace on. Just in case something was broken.

He looked at her head and saw that she had a huge gash, and although the bleeding had slowed Jake could tell by the Blood stained ground that she had bled a lot.

Half a minute later he heard the ambulance. Jake was happy that they were here because if she lost anymore blood she might die. He couldn't let that happen.

Jake stood up and walked about fifteen feet and shouted as loud as he could. "Hey! We're over here! Hurry the heck up, she's lost a lot of blood!"

Half a minute later they were in front of him telling him to move aside. He moved over and let them pass. He saw the paramedics look at the wound. Then the put a neck brace on her and put her on the stretcher.

As they moved past Jake grabbed Witch's reins and followed them. When Jake emerged he saw the paramedics load her into the ambulance and watched as the jumped in after her.

Jake watched as the ambulance sped away as fast as it could risk going without getting suck or flipping over.

While Jake was watching all of this happen the shock of what he saw caught up to him. _Oh my God! _He thought._ What if she dies?_

Jake's eyes welled up with tears and he silently cried. No one knew that he was crying because he was soaking wet because of the rain.

Jake just stood there in the rain crying, because for him, time stood still, and all he could think was _What if she dies?_

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So how was chapter 2?

R&R

Ciao for now!


	4. Overload

**I am so sorry for taking so long with the update!!!!!!!**

**For a while I lost a reason to continue with the story. Life got confusing and hectic and filled with drama. Oh, how I love high school drama.**

**But one of my friends kept on badgering me about posting another chapter (you know who you are). So, n****ow that I am bored out of my mind (and to shut this particular friend up) I have decided to continue with the story. **

**It might get a little confusing at times so I apologize. I did my best to get it to flow together.**

**Enjoy.**

**Usual disclaimer applies.**

* * *

Overload

Jake's POV 

About five minutes after the ambulance sped away with Sam, Jake finally kicked into gear. He jumped on Witch and galloped toward home. He figured that Wyatt, Brynna, and Gram already knew what had happened and that they were on their way to the hospital.

Jake didn't know if his family knew yet. If they didn't he would tell them and beg to take the car and drive to the hospital. If they did he would still beg to take the car and drive to the hospital. The second option would take less time however.

When he galloped into the Three Ponies Ranch he saw his father standing on the porch. Jake nodded in greeting. He would formally greet him after he had un-tacked Witch. Jake walked Witch and jumped off of her. As he was taking off her saddle his father walked into the barn.

"Jake, where have you been? And why are you soaking wet? You're mother and I have been worried sick."

_Great, _Jake thought. _I don't have time for this!_

"Well, I was at Riverbend and Sam went out riding with Jen but she didn't come back after two hours so I started to worry. Then Ace rode in and Sam wasn't on him so called Jen and she said that she had left Sam an hour and a half before. They were riding in Arroyo Azul so I knew that if she fell that she could be seriously hurt. So I told Gram to call an ambulance and have it head up there just in case. Then I rode out there on Witch and found her. By that time it was pouring out. She was on the ground and unconscious. She had a huge gash in her head and it was still bleeding. The ambulance came and took her away and I came back here." Jake had said all of this extremely fast so he wasn't sure his father had even understood.

"Okay, slow down for a minute. So Sam fell off of Ace and you went to find her and she was hurt?" He asked slowly.

"Yes Dad." Jake answered.

"Does Wyatt know?"

"I'm pretty sure that he does. I'm really scared dad." Jake said.

"I know you are son. Look I'll take care of Witch and you take the truck and go to the hospital."

Jake sighed in relief. This had been easier than he thought it would have been. "Thanks Dad."

"No problem son. I know how much you care about her." He said taking Witch's reins from Jake and handing him the truck keys.

Jake ran out of the barn before his dad could change his mind or give him a curfew. He ran to the truck yanked open the door and jumped in. Jake slammed the truck door and jammed the key in the ignition and started the car.

The drive to the hospital went by in a blur. Jake knew that he was going way over the speed limit but he simply didn't give a crap. All that Jake cared about was getting to the hospital to see how Sam was doing.

When Jake pulled into the hospital parking lot he had a hell of a time finding a parking spot. Apparently it was a big day for hospital visits.

After he parked the car Jake jumped out and ran into the hospital, almost running head first into the sliding glass doors.

He ran up to the girl that was standing behind the receptionist's desk. She was startled by his haggard appearance.

"Where is Samantha Forster?"

"She's still in surgery." A voice behind him answered a voice that he didn't want to hear. If it was between hearing a shrieking banshee and that voice he would rather hear the banshee.

Jake slowly turned around and faced the owner of the voice, Jennifer Kenworthy.

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Jen's POV

It had been 30 minutes since Jake called her looking for Sam. Sure Jen was still really pissed off at her for what she had said, but she didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

She and Sam had been best friends since the beginning of the school year and Jen loved her like she would a sister.

Jen would never forgive herself if anything bad happened to Sam. After all it would be her fault because she had left Sam alone even though she knew that it was dangerous to be riding alone.

It had started raining about 15 minutes after the phone call and now the storm seemed to be really picking up. The rain was pounding on the roof. The thunder was co loud that you couldn't hear yourself think. The lightning was illuminating the sky. The wind was howling. All in all, it was a really crappy time to be outside.

_God, I hope Sam and Jake aren't out in this weather. _

About 2 seconds after Jen thought this the phone rang. Jen jumped. She hadn't been expecting anyone to call. Maybe it was Jake calling to tell her that Sam was home.

"Hello" Jen said breathlessly.

"Jen," It was Gram. She sounded determined.

"Oh, hi Gram."

"Jen, I know that you and Sam got into an argument earlier, and I know that you are probably still angry. But don't allow your hurt feelings and pride get in the way of your friendship," Gram said all of this in that scolding tone that she has that makes you feel like a little kid.

"Do you know what happened to her yet?" Jen asked, barely concealing the fear in her voice.

"No, not yet. But I have a feeling in my gut that its nothing good."

Jen groaned. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have left her out there alone."

"Jen, this is not your fault. It was an accident." Gram said forcefully.

Jen knew that it was fruitless to argue with Gram. She knew that it was her fault but she kept it to herself.

"Wyatt's already on his way to the hospital. I wanted to call you and tell you what's happening and ask if you wanted me to pick you up on my way to the hospital."

"I don't know. I don't think I would be welcome." Jen said hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't you be welcome?" Gram asked. "You're her best friend."

"Well, I said some pretty horrible things."

"Jennifer Kenworthy, no matter how bad the fight was you and Sam will make up. How do you think Sam would feel if she found out that you didn't show up when she needed you the most? That would be worse than any words that you exchanged."

"I guess you're right." Jen conceded.

"I'll be there to pick you up as soon as I can."

"Thanks Gram. See you soon. Bye."

After Jen hung up she grabbed her raincoat and waited for Gram to arrive. While she waited she thought about what Gram had said. It was true that Sam would never forgive her if she wasn't at the hospital. She would assume that I didn't care and that assumption would be wrong. Nonetheless I would be in big trouble.

When Gran arrived I ran out and got in the car as fast as I could. The rain was letting up some, but not enough to keep a person from getting soaked.

After we had pulled out onto the road I asked Gram the question that had been gnawing at my mind since we hung up. "Do you think that Sam's going to be ok?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. We just have to have faith that she will pull through. Sam is a strong girl. If anyone can do it she can."

The words Gram spoke were true. Sam was strong. She had dealt with a lot of bullpoopie in her life but somehow she stayed strong and made it through.

The rest of the trip to the hospital was silent. We were both thinking about what would happen next. We were hoping and praying that everything would be alright.

When we arrived at the hospital Gram parked the car and we walked into the hospital as fast as we could, partially because of the rain and partially because we wanted to see what was going on with Sam.

"I'm going to go ask the receptionist what floor they're on," Gram stated as we walked to the elevator.

Jen walked over to the elevator and pushed the up button and waited impatiently for the elevator to come while Gram asked the receptionist. When the doors opened Gram walked over from talking to the receptionist.

"She says that they're all on the third floor, and that Sam is still in surgery," Gram stated as she stepped into the elevator.

As Jen was stepping into the elevator she notices a pay phone hanging on the wall.

_I should call my mom and tell her where I am _Jen thought.

"I'm going to call my mom and tell her where I am so she doesn't worry. She should be back from shopping by now." Jen told Gram.

Gram gave her a look of understanding. "Okay honey. Just come on up when you're done."

"I will."

Jen walked over to the phone and pulled some change out of the pocket. She put it in the slot and dialed her mom's number.

As she waited for her mom to answer she wondered if she already knew about Sam's accident. Jen didn't know how she would explain if she didn't.

After 5 rings her mom answered. "Hello." She sounded very worried

"Hi mom it's me." Jen said cautiously. She knew that her mom would have been worried about her

"Jennifer Kenworthy!" she exclaimed. "Where are you? Do you know how worried I've been? I get home and find the house empty and no note telling me where you went or when you would be back! I've been calling all of our neighbors asking them if they'd seen you. The Forsters' didn't answer which is strange because Gram is usually home at this time."

"I'm sorry that I didn't write a note telling you where I am. I guess I just forgot." Jen explained.

"How do you forget to write a note telling your mother where you are. It's not exactly difficult Jennifer."

"I know that mom. It's just that I got some shocking and horrible news and it slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

"Where are you exactly? What was the shocking and horrible news that made you forget to write a note?" Jens mom questioned.

"Well mom, I'm at the hospital. Don't worry I'm not the one hurt. You see Gram called me and told me that Sam had fallen off of her horse and that she has a big gash on her head. That's why I didn't write a note. I was too shocked to think of much. Gram offered to pick me up and drive me here so that I could find out how bad it was. That's why no one answered when you called, they're all here."

"Oh my God" she exclaimed. "That's horrible. Is Sam going to be okay?"

"She's still in surgery so we won't know until it's done." Jen was starting to get a headache. "Mom I'm gonna let you go and go be with the Forsters and wait for news on Sam's condition."

"Okay sweetheart. Tell the Forsters that I'm praying for them."

"I will" Jen said before she hung up. She started rubbing her temples trying to get rid of the headache.

Just as she was about to go back to the elevator she saw Jake run up to the girl standing behind the receptionist's desk.

"Where's Samantha Forster?" He asked frantically.

Before Jens brain had a chance to tell me that it would be a very bad idea to talk to him she said "She's still in surgery."

Jake slowly turned around and looked at her. She saw anger written all over his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jake asked furiously.

"The same thing that you are, I'm here because I care about Sam." Jen stated simply.

"You were singing a different tune not that long ago. What changed your mind?"

"Even though Sam and I fought and we both said some hurtful things, she's still my best friend. I love her like a fat kid loves cake."

"Really, you love her that much? Well, I'm sure that she'll be overjoyed to hear that." Jake said sarcastically.

"God Jake, I never said that you had to like me. In fact I don't give a damn if you hate me. But this isn't about us. It's about Sam, so quit being such an ass to me and focus on why we're here." Jen started walking towards the elevator. "Everyone is up on the third floor. Are you coming or not?"

Jake followed after her but made it clear that he didn't like it. Jen pressed the up button and the doors automatically opened. Jen and Jake got in and Jen pressed the button for the third floor.

When they arrived on the third floor they looked around for the waiting room. Jen saw a sign that said that it was to their left. Jen pointed that out to Jake and they both headed to the left.

When they arrived at the waiting room they found the Forsters' instantly. They were the only people there other than a middle-aged man.

Jake and Jen walked over to them. They all had grief stricken faces. Jen heart stopped as she wondered what had happened.

8-8-8-8-8

Gram's POV

After Jake galloped out of the Ranch like a bat out of hell Gram went to the barn to find Pepper who was supposed to be cleaning the tack for the day.

"Pepper," Gram called as she went into the barn. There was no answer so she called again louder. "Pepper!"

"Did you need something Gram?" Pepper asked coming up behind her.

"Oh," Gram cried, putting her hand over her heart. "Pepper you scared me to death. You should know better than to sneak up on an old lady like that."

"I'm sorry Gram," Pepper apologized. "What was it that you need?"

"I need you to get on Jeepers and go get Wyatt and tell him to go to the hospital right away."

"The hospital?" Pepper asked sounding shocked. "Why does he need to go to the hospital?"

"Sam got into another accident, or rather that's how it appears," Gram explained. "So I need you to ride out there and tell Wyatt to get his keister over to the hospital so he can be there when his daughter gets in. No excuses."

With all that said Gram briskly walked out of the barn and into the house. She had two phone calls to make. One was to Brynna, Sam's step-mother. The other was to Jen.

Jen was fully aware that Jen and Sam were currently in one of their tiffs but she had to make the call anyway.

As she was dialing the number to the BLM, Gram thought about what she was going to say to Brynna. How was she supposed to explain this to her when she had no hard facts.

"Brynna Forster, how may I help you?" Her tone was formal and businesslike.

"Brynna, its Gram." Gram heard the sound of a horse going over the bridge.

"Oh, hi Gram," Brynna's voice changed from formal and businesslike to friendly and relaxed. "I should be home soon. I just have to finish up some paperwork."

"Before you leave I need you to do something for me. Actually I need you to do it as soon as we hang up." Brynna must have heard a change in Grams voice because she turned back to being businesslike.

"What do you need Gram?" She asked.

"I need you to call the sheriff and tell him to get an ambulance over to Arroyo Azul in the next five minutes. Tell him that if he doesn't he'll have me to deal with."

"I'll call him," Brynna promised. "Gram, what happened over at Arroyo Azul?"

"I have no time to explain it right now. Just go meet Wyatt at the hospital as soon as you're done." The rain had really started picking up and it now sounded like a hurricane out there. "Please hurry, Brynna," And with that final thought she hung up.

Gram took a deep breath before dialing the next number. This was not going to be an easy phone call, for her, or Jen.

"Hello," Jen answered on the third ring. She sounded like she was out of breath. Gram briefly wondered why.

"Jen," Gram said firmly.

"Oh, hi Gram." She sounded wary. _Good,_ Gram thought. _That means that she's taking this seriously._

"Jen, I know that you and Sam got into an argument earlier, and I know that you are probably still angry. But don't allow your hurt feelings and pride get in the way of your friendship," Gram tried to make this sound firm but she wasn't sure if she succeeded.

"Do you know what happened to her yet?" Jen asked, sounding worried and more than a little scared.

"No, not yet. But I have a feeling in my gut that it's nothing good." Gram said, her voice breaking a couple of times.

Jen groaned. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have left her out there alone."

"Jen, this is not your fault. It was an accident." Gram said forcefully. She wouldn't allow Jen to feel guilty for something that she had no control over.

Jen made no sound of argument so Gram continued.

"Wyatt's already on his way to the hospital. I wanted to call you and tell you what's happening and ask if you wanted me to pick you up on my way to the hospital."

"I don't know. I don't think I would be welcome." Jen sounded unsure. She was dealing with things that a girl her age shouldn't have to deal with.

"Why wouldn't you be welcome?" Gram asked. "You're her best friend."

"Well, I said some pretty horrible things."

"Jennifer Kenworthy, no matter how bad the fight was you and Sam will make up. How do you think Sam would feel if she found out that you didn't show up when she needed you the most? That would be worse than any words that you exchanged." Gram had once made a mistake like that a long time ago and she wouldn't allow Jen to make the same mistake.

"I guess you're right." Jen agreed. Gram knew that it's because she knew that she wouldn't win the argument.

"I'll be there to pick you up as soon as I can."

"Thanks Gram. See you soon. Bye."

After hanging up with Jen Gram hastened out in to the storm to her car. She didn't even bother bringing an umbrella with her because getting to the hospital was more important than her clothes or how she looked when she arrived.

She tore out of Riverbend as fast as she could without getting into an accident; no one needed another one of those today. She drove to Jens house as fast as she could under the current conditions.

Five minutes later Gram was outside Jens house. She was worried sick about Sam but she took comfort in the thought that she was safely at the hospital getting taken care of. The ambulance had passed Gram on her way to Jens.

Jen ran out of the house and hopped into the car.

After Gram had pulled out onto the road Jen asked her the question that she could tell she had been chewing on for a while. "Do you think that Sam's going to be ok?" Jen asked worriedly.

"Honestly, I have no idea. We just have to have faith that she will pull through. Sam is a strong girl. If anyone can do it she can." Gram replied in the strongest and firmest voice she could.

Gram could tell that Jen had accepted the truth in her words.

They spent the rest of the trip to the hospital is silence. All Gram could think about was Sam and how all of this had come to be and the reason behind it. Gram fully believed that everything happens for a reason. But she also had a hard time figuring out the reason behind this.

_Lord, give us the strength to accept that this is your will and that you have a plan. Allow us to fully trust you and your power. _Gram silently prayed.

Gram parked the car and she and Jen silently got out and hastened into the hospital. It was still raining quite hard outside and they didn't want to get any wetter than necessary.

As they walked in Gram realized that she had no idea what floor they are on.

She turned to Jen. "I'm going to go ask the receptionist what floor they're on."

Gram walked over to the receptionist's desk and noticed that she was on the phone. Gram waited as patiently as possible until she was done.

About a minute later she hung up the phone. "Hi. How may I help you?" She used the tone of voice that indicated that she didn't want to be here.

"Hi, I need to know where Sam Forster is." Gram said in her no nonsense voice.

"Give me a sec to look it up," she said while popping her gum.

Gram started tapping her foot in impatience while the girl was typing on the computer.

Finally she looked up. "She's still in surgery. You can go wait for her on floor three."

"Thank you," Gram said coldly before walking to the elevators where Jen was waiting. Gram arrived at the elevator as it was opening its doors.

"She says they're all on the third floor, and Sam is still in surgery," Gram stated while stepping into the elevator.

She turned around to push the button for the third floor and noticed that Jen wasn't with her. She was just about to ask what was wrong when Jen looked at her and explained. "I'm going to call my mom and tell her where I am so she doesn't worry. She should be back from shopping by now."

"Okay honey. Just come on up when you're done."

"I will," Jen said before walking over to the pay phone that Gram had failed to notice hanging on the wall.

The doors to the elevator shut and the elevator started moving up. Gram just stood there pondering the outcome of recent events. Thankfully the elevator made it to the third floor without stopping to allow other people on.

Gram stepped out of the elevator and made her way down the short hallway to the waiting room. She saw as she walked in that the doctor was talking with Wyatt and Brynna. Gram arrived at the tail end of the conversation.

"I'm so very sorry," the doctor said sincerely before walking away.

_Well, _thought Gram, _that doesn't sound good._

"Wyatt, what's going on?" Gram asked feeling slightly panicked.

He said nothing as he sat down and buried his head in his hands. Gram began to fear the worst as she looked at her heartbroken son.

"Wyatt is she…" Gram trailed off, unable to ask the question that needed to be asked.

"No Gram," said Brynna soothingly. "That's not it."

"Then what is it," Gram asked, looking at Brynna for the answer.

Then Wyatt looked up into her eyes. His eyes were so full of sadness and shock. She could see just how much pain he was really in. Then he said the words that she never thought she'd have to hear again, and her world shattered.

8-8-8-8-8

**Wyatt's POV**

Wyatt was out in the field looking for any calves that had decided to wander away from their mothers when Pepper came galloping up on Jeepers. Dallas had gone a little ways ahead to look in some brush while Wyatt scouted from the truck.

"Hey Pepper," Wyatt called as Pepper dismounted. "I thought you were polishing up some of the old tack in the barn today."

"I was, until Gram came lookin' for me and asked me to come out here and tell you something," Pepper explained.

"Well, what is it Pepper?" Wyatt asked when Pepper said nothing else.

"Oh, well, she said, and I quote, 'Sam got into another accident, or rather that's how it appears. So ride out there and tell Wyatt to get his keister over to the hospital so he can be there when his daughter gets in. No excuses.'

Wyatt just stood there shell-shocked for a moment before exploding.

"What, another accident? When? How? Where? Oh God. I've got to get to the hospital." And with that he jumped into the truck and drove to the hospital, breaking several traffic laws on his way. The rain had really started coming down but that didn't delay him by much.

He brought the truck to a screeching halt in the parking lot, yanked the key out of the ignition, and sprinted into the hospital. As he was running he heard a siren approaching. He didn't care that he was getting soaked by the impromptu storm. All Wyatt cared about is knowing if it was Sam in that ambulance.

He didn't have to wait long. The ambulance tore through the parking lot and into the unloading zone like it was possessed.

Wyatt sprinted over to where they were unloading and felt his heart stop. It was Sam. She was on the stretcher. She was white as a ghost. Someone, probably one of the people that were in the ambulance, had put a neck brace on her.

Wyatt couldn't see much, but from what he could see the injury was bad. Possibly fatal. No. He couldn't think that. He wouldn't be able to hold himself together if he thought that.

Wyatt followed Sam until he got to the annoying doors that said that he couldn't go any further. Long after the doors swung shut he stood there. Simply staring and thinking, until Brynna found him.

"Wyatt," she called. "Thank God. I was so worried about you. C'mon, the girl at the front desk said that we could wait up on the third floor."

Brynna took his arm and led him to the elevator and then proceeded to push him into said elevator when the doors finally opened.

Wyatt was aware that she was speaking to him but he couldn't seem to focus on what she was saying. All he heard was a low buzzing sound.

Brynna led him over to some chairs and he gladly sat down and buried his face in his hands, Hoping to block some of the thoughts and images that were floating around in his head.

Time soon meant nothing to him. It passed by without him even noticing its presence. He was aware of the people passing by but they didn't interest him. All he heard was that low buzzing until Brynna said the magic words.

"Wyatt, the Doctor's here to tell us about Sam."

Wyatt finally looked up and noticed the doctor standing there. He was wearing the usual white lab coat and sea green scrubs.

Wyatt stood up and walked over to him. "How is she? How's my little girl? Will she be okay?"

"Well sir, the surgery went fine. We were able to get the swelling in her brain to go down so it poses no imediate threat."

"I sense that there's a but in there somewhere doc," Wyatt said with growing dread.

"Well, you see, the swelling did go down and she will live, but as of right now, she's in a coma. I'm very sorry."

And with that he left, taking a piece of my heart with him.

* * *

**So? How horrible was it? Be honest.**

**Well, go click the little green button.**

**Its calling you. It wants you. It needs you.**

**Hehehehehe!**

**I'll update ASAP. If I don't that certain friend of mine that I metioned before will start nagging me again.**

**I really don't want that to happen. He can get really annoying.**

**Well, TTFN!**


	5. Watching and Waiting

**A/N: Here's the next chappie. This one was a little more difficult to write but I managed. I'm hoping to update ASAP but with school back in session and mid-terms coming it might take a while. Sorry about this.**

**And now, without further ado, the chappie that you have all waited patiently for!**

Watching and Waiting

Jakes POV

It's been a week; Seven days; One hundred and sixty eight hours; Ten thousand and eighty minutes; In other words, a really long time for Sam to be in a coma. So it wasn't outside of the realm of sanity for Jake, and everyone else, to be fairly worried about her. It was perfectly understandable.

Jake wasn't doing too well. He was so preoccupied worrying about Sam that he was having a hard time focusing on his work. Just the other day Jake was spacing out and he didn't notice that the colt that he was working with was getting spooked. His lack of attention left him finding and calming the colt that had bolted. Not a lot of fun. Wyatt probably would've chewed him out pretty bad but he was also worried about Sam, so he didn't really notice.

Jake was at the hospital. He spent a good portion of his time there. He just sat in Sam's room, willing silently for her to wake up. The doctor had given us more information since the night of the accident.

Basically he said that with every day that passes the risk that she won't wake up gets higher. The risk was already high because of the incident with Blackie. Major Head trauma is supposed to be avoided. Yet, somehow, Sam managed to get a hard hit on the head twice. Who would've guessed it?

Certainly not me, or her father. I think that's one of the main reasons that Wyatt allowed Sam to come back. He probably thought that, because she had already endured more than her fair share of crap, the fates might look down on her and smile rather than frown. He had thought wrong… and so had Jake.

Jake hated being wrong, especially when it pertained to Sam and her safety. He always prided himself on being right. He liked being the guy that people could count on to know the answer. This time, however, he didn't know the answer.

Jake didn't know why this kept happening to Sam and he didn't know if she was going to be ok. Not knowing scared him and that was something that he would never admit to anyone.

Jake put his hand over Sam's and before he had the chance to say what he wanted to say, what he _needed_ to say, a familiar face walked through the door.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your life than sit here all day?" Jen asked as she walked in.

"I could ask you the same thing seeing as how you're here as much as I am," Jake replied.

"Touché. Any changes yet?"

"I would have told you if there were," Jake snapped. The stress of just sitting around and waiting was beginning to get to him.

"Touchy, touchy. You might want to get your attitude checked Jake. Some sleep and a shower would do you well too," Jen said in her best bitchy tone. "I'd go for the shower first if I were you. We don't want Sam to die from the stench when she wakes up."

"Oh ha, ha. Very funny," Jake said sarcastically.

Jake knew that Jen was acting like this because she's feeling the same stress that he is.

That first night in the hospital the two of them had come to an agreement. They still hate each other but for the sake of Sam and her family, they would be as civil toward each other as they could.

They had their good days and their bad days, and by the way today seemed to be going it was sure to be a bad day.

Just when Jen opened her mouth to make another snide remark Jake started talking.

"Look, I really can't deal with another bitch-fest at the moment. Besides, there are more important things to worry about at the moment."

Jen sighed. "I know there is Jake. I'm not a completely heartless idiot."

"I'm well aware of that fact."

"Good," Jen said simply. After a few moments she asked the question that she knew they had both been thinking. "When do you think she's going to wake up?"

"I don't know, Jen. I wish I did but I don't."

"I guess until then we just have to wait."

"Looks like it," Jake said wearily. "We just have to watch and wait.

If only they knew just how hard watching and waiting would be.

**That's all for now.**

**Sorry that the chappie is so short. The next one will definitely be much longer.**

**It may not be very good because I'm feeling a bit under the weather and I'm not in a very good mood because of high school drama.**

**Anywho, Push the little green button and review my pretties.**

**P.S. Anyone who has read the Twilight series and is a Jacob fan should definitely go check out Stargazer by HollyBooth. It's amazing.**


	6. To Sleep Perchance to Dream

**A/N: So this chapter would have been up on Wednesday but I lost the thumb drive that I kept it on so I had to do the whole damn thing over again! Very annoying.**

**For the song when it's bold it means that they are both singing, underlined is Sam, and italics is Jen. You'll understand when you get there.**

**Anyway, on to the chapter.**

To Sleep Perchance to Dream

Darkness.

That's all that Sam could see.

Complete Blackness.

She could run for miles and never move. She could call for help and never be heard. She could scream in terror and never make a sound.

This darkness should scare her and yet it didn't. It was more like a forgotten friend.

Sam had been here before. She remembered it perfectly. But that was a time that Sam did not like to go back to. It was painful for her and her family so she never mentioned exactly what happened when she was in a coma.

Now that she was back in this place she waited for what she knew was about to come. The last time that she was in this place she had seen memories. Memories of her past, most of them were of her mother.

Sam had deduced when she woke up that this place was the deepest confines of her mind, the place that held all of her secret desires. What she truly desired at that time was to see her mother. So, her mind dug up some of Sam's favorite memories for her.

As Sam was remembering the darkness began to lighten until Sam saw a room. She recognized the room as Jen's. Sam watched silently as the scene played out like a movie.

_Sam was spending the night over at Jen's house to help her pack up some of her old stuff to be given away._

_ Jen was digging through her closet while Sam was looking through some bins Jen kept stored under her bed._

_ She didn't find anything interesting until she reached the bottom of the bin. _Oh_, Sam thought, _this is gonna be fun.

_"Jen," Sam called._

_ "Yeah, Sam?" Jen answer without removing herself from her work._

_ "Would you mind coming out of the closet for a minute? We all knew that it would happen eventually. No need to be shy, we'll still love you." Sam teased._

_ "Oh, ha ha. Very funny Sam," Jen said sarcastically as she walked out of the closet. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"_

_ "Nope, You shouldn't be surprised."_

_ "Well, what was so important that you interrupted me?" Jen asked irritated._

_ "I was just wondering, if it's not a bother that is, if you could tell me what these are," Sam said, holding up what she found in the bin. A rather large stack of Pokémon cards._

_ Jen's widened comically. She looked mortified. "Where did you find those?"_

_ "In the bin that I was going through," Sam said holding back laughter at the look on Jen's face._

_ "Oh, well… um… those are really old. Like from when I was really little," Jen said trying not to look guilty._

_ "Really? Well, that's odd considering that some of these cards were from last season."_

_ Jen blushed so badly at Sam's words that she looked like a tomato. What Jen didn't realize through her embarrassment was that Sam had obviously watched the last season of Pokémon._

_Sam couldn't control herself anymore. She burst out laughing. _

_ Sam's laughter made Jen blush even more which in turn made Sam laugh even harder._

_ After about five minutes of side-holding laughter, Sam calmed down enough to look at Jen. When Sam looked up she saw Jen glaring at her._

_ The thought "if looks could kill" passed through Sam's mind. If looks could kill she would surely be dead._

_ "Are you done laughing at my expense?" Jen asked coldly._

_ Sam was speechless so she just nodded._

_ "Good."_

_ With one last glare she turned around and began making her way back over to the closet._

_ Sam knew that Jen was pissed and she had an idea of how to fix it._

_ Before she chickened out Sam ran over to the dresser and grabbed a hairbrush. "Oh, Jen," she called._

_ Jen turned more on instinct than anything and she almost fell over in shock. _

_ Sam was standing on her bed in one of the most ridiculous poses that Jen had ever seen. But that was only the beginning. _

_ When she was sure that she had Jen's attention she brought the brush up to her mouth and started singing. "I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was! To catch them is my real test; to train them is my cause! Pokémon!" _

_ Jen, finally over her initial shock of the situation, grabbed the brush/microphone from Sam and sang the next lines. "I will travel across the land, searching far and wide! Teach Pokémon to understand, the power that's inside!"_

_ "__**Pokémon!**__" They both yelled together._

_Gotta catch 'em all_

_It's you and me_

_**I know it's my destiny! **_

_**Pokémon!**___

_Ooooh, you're my best friend___

In a world we must defend

_**Pokémon!**___

_Gotta catch 'em all___

Our hearts so true

_**Our courage will pull us through**_

You teach me and I'll teach you

Pokémon!

Gotta catch 'em all!

_**Gotta catch 'em all!**_

_**Pokémon!**_

_After the song they both fell on the floor laughing, not noticing that they had gathered and audience. Apparently Gram and Brynna had come over to have some tea with Mrs. Kenworthy. They had heard what they assumed to be singing and made their way to Jen's room where they saw the two girls singing the Pokémon Theme song._

_They only realized the audience when they began clapping. After a few seconds of surprise, the two girls got off the ground and bowed._

This memory had Sam laughing. She remembered that day well. It was one of the best days she had with her best friend before she went into what Sam referred to as the "Slocum days."

The memory began to fade and soon enough Sam was back in complete darkness.

While waiting for the next memory to come along, Sam sat down. Well, she didn't really sit down because there was no floor, but that was what the intention was.

It wasn't long before the darkness began to fade once again. This time the room Sam was looking at was her own. The first thing she heard was herself complaining.

"_Dad, I don't want to go to the stupid dance. There's no point and I don't even have a date."_

"_I'm well aware of this Sam. I would much rather you stayed home and did some extra chores. But you know how Brynna and Gram get when they put their minds to something," Wyatt reasoned._

_Sam sighed in defeat. She did know what happened when they put their minds to something. They were forces to be reckoned with that's for sure. "That's true," she conceded._

"_Exactly, so go get your butt ready before they come up here and help you."_

_Her father left and Sam proceeded to gather up everything she would need after her shower. Once that was done she went into the bathroom._

_She took a quick 10 minute shower. Sam managed to wash her hair and shave both her legs and under her arms. What took most girls 30 minutes to do, she accomplished in 10. In that 10 minutes Sam thought about all the possible reasons Gram and Brynna could be subjecting her to this torture._

_She came up with nothing. Wrapping a towel around herself, Sam ran to her room and started getting ready._

_After putting on her underwear and such Sam put on her dress. Gram and Brynna made some adjustments to the dress Sam wore to the wedding because they didn't have enough money to buy her a new one. She was ok with this because she didn't want a new dress to wear to the dance she didn't even want to attend._

_Although, Sam did have to admit that they did a good job. Wearing the dress Sam felt beautiful rather than run of the mill._

_Sam tried to do her hair next. It had grown since Brynna had cut it a while ago. So, instead of trying to make her hair do what she wanted it to do, Sam just put it up in a bun and called it a night._

_Sam wasn't one to wear makeup, but since she was being forced to go to the stupid Spring Formal, she decided to go all out._

"_Sam, if you don't hurry up you're going to be late!" Brynna shouted just as Sam was finishing her face._

"_Coming!" she shouted back._

_Sam grabbed her not too high, high heels and ran downstairs, only to be met with the shock of her life._

_Jake Ely was standing in her kitchen, wearing his nicest pair of jeans and a button up shirt. All Sam could do was stare at him with her mouth hanging open. She probably looked like a complete idiot but that was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment._

"_What's he doing here?" Sam asked in a somewhat strangled voice._

"_Well, seeing as how he didn't have a date, we thought that he could give you a ride to the dance and back," Gram explained._

"_Oh," was her brilliant response._

"_C'mon, Brat. We gotta go or we're gonna be late."_

" _Alright, I guess I'll see you guys when I get home," Sam said before bolting out the door after Jake._

_Jake was already in the truck waiting for her. Sam saw him impatiently drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as she got in._

"_Well, you sure took your sweet time getting here."_

"_Oh I am oh so sorry! Heaven forbid I take my time walking to your truck so I don't fall and break my leg in these hells," Sam replied going heavy on the sarcasm._

"_Well, you're forgiven. But I'm only forgiving you because of that oh so sweet apology," Jake retorted, pulling out onto the main road._

_After about five minutes of silence Sam decided to ask him what she had been wondering since seeing him at her house._

"_So, how did they bribe you into coming to this shindig?"_

"_I don't know what you're talking about Brat," Jake said quickly, A little too quickly._

"_Come on Jake. There's no use in lying."_

"_How do you know that I didn't come of my own volition?" Jake asked._

"_Because you hate getting dressed up and you don't participate in school functions such as dances."_

"_Well, if you think you know me so well you should have no trouble figuring out why I came."_

"_Good point," Sam replied. "You know that I will figure it out eventually, with or without your help."_

"_Sure you will, Brat. C'mon, we're here."_

_They were close to being the last people to arrive, not that they really cared._

_They got out of the truck and Sam practically had to run to keep up with Jake's fast pace. When they entered the gym, Sam could see that they had attempted to make it look halfway decent. They failed of course, but at least they tried._

_Rather than putting up streamers, they should have doused the place in air freshener. No one wanted to attend a dance that smelled like feet._

_As Sam looked around she noticed some of Jake's friends waving at him. She looked at jake and saw him looking at her._

"_Well, go on then. Have fun with your friends."_

_He smiled. "Thanks, Brat. I won't be long. In the mean time you can go get us some drinks."_

_Sam just glared at his retreating figure. It was totally un-cool to send the girl to get the drinks._

_She just huffed and made her way over to the punch. She was actually feeling a bit parched. Just as she grabbed a glass and started drinking one of the few people that she never wanted to make contact with came over._

"_Hey, Hot stuff," Rick White said as he came up behind Sam._

_Sam jumped and almost spilled her drink on herself. "Christ Rick! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She practically yelled._

"_Sorry. I thought you saw me coming over here."_

"_What in the hell would make you think that Rick?"_

_He actually seemed shocked by Sam's question. "Well, because I'm me."_

_Sam just snorted. "Whatever, Rick. Go bother someone else."_

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to be so testy Sam. I just came over here to ask you for a dance."_

'_Well, in that case Rick, I will have to disincline to acquiesce to your request."_

_Rick just stared at her, looking like he just got hit with a mallet on the head. "That means no."_

_Rick started laughing. "Beauty and brains, I like that," he said stepping closer to her. Sam was very, very uncomfortable now._

"_Well, good for you Rick .I really should be going now," Sam said quickly trying to dart around him._

"_Wait," he said grabbing her upper arm. "What about my dance?"_

"_I already told you no. I don't want to dance with you. Not now, not ever. Now let go of me!"_

_Rick looked down at her with fury in his eyes. He gripped her upper arm so tight that her fingers were losing circulation. Just as he opened his mouth to say something that was sure to be horrible, he had someone clutching the back of his neck in a way that was sure to be painful._

"_I believe the lady said no to your request of a dance and asked you to let go of her arm," Jake said in a very menacing voice._

_Rick loosened his fingers and Sam jerked her arm out of his hand. Jake let go of Rick's neck and pushed him toward the door. "Now you get the hell out of here before I get the administrators involved."_

_Sam glanced at Jake. He looked majorly pissed. "Hey Jake?"_

"_Yeah, Brat?"_

"_Can we go home now?"_

_Jake looked at her and smiled. "That's the best idea I've heard all night."_

_They made their way over to the door and walked out into the crisp night air. Out in the middle of the parking lot Sam could see that Rick was having a hard time getting his car door open._

_Sam made her way slowly over to where Rick was. She glanced at Jake and saw that he was about to stop her and she shook her head at him._

_When she was two feet away she called to Rick. "Hey, Rick."_

_He looked up and saw her standing there and smiled. "Come to finish what we started have you?"_

"_I guess you could say that," Sam replied. "I forgot to give you something inside."_

"_Oh, really?"_

"_Yeah," Sam slowly made her way over to him and placed her hands on his chest. She could see the excited gleam in his eyes. If only he knew what was coming._

_She leaned in closer and just before she did what he thought she was going to do, Sam jerked her knee upwards and made contact with the family jewels._

_Rick fell to the ground, writhing in agony and Sam could hear Jake laughing in the background. Sam leaned down and whispered to him, "If you EVER come near me again, I will make sure that you never reproduce you sleaze bag."_

_Then she turned around and walked away._

To this day Sam had never told anybody what had happened at that dance. Needless to say, Rick never got within 10 feet of her if he could help it.

As the darkness crept back in, Sam wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. She and Jake had laughed the entire way home because of that little incident. It was truly unforgettable.

It was weird how one of her worst nights had one of the best endings. But that's life. It's ironic that way.

After a few minutes of darkness, it began to lighten and Sam saw the beginning to a memory that she did not wish to see. The memory of how she ended up back in this place.

But, no matter how hard she fought against it, she could not keep from seeing everything that happened.

In her opinion it was worse watching it than it was actually living it. Soon she was curled up in a ball sobbing quietly, waiting for it to end.

It didn't take long for her prayers to be answered. As soon as her head hit the rock in the memory, everything went black and she saw and felt no more.

**So… what do you think? Was it horrible? Was it amazing?**

**Should I crawl in a hole and hide?**

**Should I do the hokey pokey and turn myself around?**

**Well, I guess I'll find out when you lovely people review.**

**P.S. Reviews make me write faster.**


	7. Here We Go Again

**A/N: I know, I know! There is no excuse for my lack of updating. I'm sorry to have made you all wait. My bad. My reasons will be explained at the end of the chapter. **

**P.S. I'm sorry if this chappie sucks.**

Here We Go Again

Just when you thought that things can't get any worse, they do. One second Jake is half asleep, thinking of Sam, the next he's being awoken by a very loud and seemingly never ending beep. Really annoying to someone that was trying to sleep.

Jake sat up in his chair and looked around for what was making the offending sound. From what he could tell, it was coming from the direction of where Sam was. As he turned his head in the direction of Sam's bed, he heard people rushing through the door to Sam's room.

Jake looked over to see what all the commotion was, and he was greeted by the sight of at least five nurses rushing through the door. They all went directly to Sam's bed, which is when Jake noticed that it was one of her monitors that was making the awful noise. Her heart monitor to be precise.

Before Jake could really register what was happening, Wyatt rushed through the door with Brynna following closely following. They both had expressions that Jake was sure mirrored his. "What the hell happened?" Wyatt asked, looking directly at Jake.

"I don't know," Jake replied while shaking his head in disbelief.

"How do you not know," Wyatt practically screamed at him. "You were here! You were supposed to be watching her!"

Brynna put a hand on Wyatt's arm, trying to soothe him.

Before Jake could begin to say anything in his defense, one of the older nurses with a motherly face approached them. "Alright, now I'll be having none of that. Go on, shoo! Both of you, git."

Both Jake and Wyatt had the decency to look abashed for their behavior in Sam's hospital room as they were being unceremoniously kicked out.

Once in the hallway Jake turned to Wyatt and he looked like he was about to shoot someone. Before Jake could run away to save his life, Brynna stepped in and saved for him. "Now, Wyatt, why don't you reserve judgment until after he's told you what happened," Brynna said calmly.

Jake nodded at her in thanks before beginning his story, or rather, lack of story.

Wyatt listened calmly to Jake's retelling of how he had dozed off and had been awoken by the sound of Sam's heart monitor go off. Much to Jake's relief, he seemed to calm down after hearing the story.

"I'm sorry I went off on you in there, Jake. I guess I'm just a little stressed," he said quietly.

"I understand. Nothing to worry about."

They were all standing in tense silence for about a minute before they heard Sam's monitor begin to beep in tune with each beat of her heart again. Both men sighed in relief and silently thanked God for saving her.

After the nurses had finished making sure that Sam was stable and checking her BP they were allowed back into the room.

They each grabbed a chair by her bed and just sat there in silence. It felt like it had been hours, when it had in fact probably been twenty minutes or so, until the silence was broken.

Jake was so accustomed to the silence that when Wyatt stood up with an outburst of "That's it!" he nearly fell on the floor because he jumped so bad.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean, Wyatt?" asked Brynna, irritated by her husbands sudden outburst of insanity. "We can't read your mind, you know."

Jake just sat and stared as Wyatt began pacing the length of the room.

"What I mean is that as soon as Sam wakes up, I'm sending her back to live with her aunt. She's safer there then she is here."

Jake just sat there in astonishment for a few moments. He was, to put it simply, flabbergasted by what Wyatt had said.

"Are you on crack?" he asked while leaping up from his chair. "You can't send her away again!"

"I can and I will," Wyatt replied angrily, ignoring the crack comment.

"Wyatt, let's think about this for a bit before making a rash decision," Brynna said soothingly.

"I don't need to think about it, Brynna. She can't stay here if she is going to continually be put in harms way. I will not allow it!"

Jake clenched his fist tightly at his sides, trying to curb the urge to smack some sense into him. "No, Wyatt, you cannot send her away. I will not allow it."

"You have no right-"

"I have every right! Just shut up and think for a minute about how Sam will feel if you send her away again!" Jake's outburst surprised Wyatt into silence.

"What do you mean, Jake?" asked Brynna.

"I mean that if you send her away she will hate you forever," Jake stated. " Think about it. You're pregnant right now, and I'm sure that Sam is ecstatic about that fact, but if she's sent away….. It'll look like you love that baby more than you love her. She'll feel like she's being replaced. It'll look like you guys just wanted get rid of her so you could start a family with children that are biologically both of yours."

About halfway through Jake's speech, Wyatt sat down in his chair and buried his head in his hands.

"But that isn't true! Not in the least," Brynna exclaimed. "Would she really think that about us?"

"Yes, she would, because that is exactly how it would look," Jake said seriously. "In all seriousness, if you guys sent her away again, she wouldn't be coming back. You will have lost her forever. Do you see now why you _can't _send her away?"

At first Jake thought that Wyatt had fallen asleep and hadn't heard a single word that he said. But slowly he lifted his head. "Yes," he said, his voice filled with barely masked anguish, " I understand. I won't send her away."

Jake sighed in relief and sat down heavily.

_Great, _Jake thought in relief, _that's one mission accomplished. Now all Sam needs to do is come back to the land of the living._

Then, as if by some miracle his prayer was heard and answered using the MIRACLES-FOR-YOU express, Sam twitched her finger.

At first Jake thought that he was simply seeing things. Then, not even two minutes later, her finger twitched a second and then a third time. All that went through Jake's mind was, _Holy shit!_

**A/N 2: Ok, so, I know that it really has been forever since my last update and for that I am truly sorry. As for my excuse, well, here it goes:**

**I'm a senior in High school which basically means that I have little to no time to do anything, and when I have the time, I don't have the energy. Lately it's been a little more stressful than it usually is.**

**So, between school (only 2 weeks until graduation), and having the guy that I'm basically in love with, and have been for a while, tell me that we're only ever gonna be friends and that even then our friendship is strained, I'm a mess.**

**It also doesn't help that me and my best friend have been growing apart and I feel like I can't talk to her about things anymore.**

**Anyway, that's enough about my crappy life. **

**Please, please, PLEASE review. They really do make my happy and I could use some of that right about now.**


	8. Don't Forget

**A/N: Two chapters in two days! Aren't you all lucky ducks?**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. It has been said (yet again) that my language is too severe. I just wanted to say that I love and respect all of my readers and I don't want to offend anyone. But the few swear words that I use in this, are really not that bad. I have a very colorful vocabulary that I keep to myself most of the time. In the end, if my miniscule amount of swearing bothers you, don't read the story. I don't mean to sound like a huge biotch but I honestly don't see what all the hype is about.**

Don't Forget

Sam felt as if she were drowning. Or rather, she felt like what she imagined drowning would feel like. Since she had never drowned or come close to drowning she couldn't be sure that this is what drowning actually felt like.

Anyway, it felt as if something was on her chest, making it so that she couldn't breathe. She began flailing her arms and kicking her legs desperately, trying to get out of the water, if that's what it even was, so that she could breathe again.

Just when she felt that she had reached her limit and that she couldn't fight anymore and that she should just let the darkness take her into it's warm and comforting embrace, her head broke the surface.

The first thing that Sam saw when she opened her eyes was a blinding light. She immediately closed her eyes and tried to adjust to the new brightness. Following close after that was a feeling of major discomfort, and then one of panic because she still couldn't breathe. It seemed that something was in her mouth and was obstructing her air intake.

Sam tried to rip the offensive thing out, but when she tried lifting her arms, she found that they were being restrained. She looked down to see what was limiting her arm movement and noticed that they were strapped to the bed she was lying on. That's when she noticed the people standing around her bed staring at her with what looked like faces of shock, disbelief, and happiness. Odd combination.

Some lady that Sam didn't know came to stand next to her head. She had an older, yet still beautiful face, and kind eyes. "Would you like me to remove the tube from your mouth?" she asked gently.

Sam nodded, mostly because she couldn't do much more than that with her mouth full and body restricted.

The kind old lady, who Sam noticed had a badge on that said Nurse Jackie, removed the obstruction from her mouth. If you have never had a tube removed from your mouth that leads down your throat, don't try it. It is really very uncomfortable.

As soon as it was out, Sam spent a couple of moments gasping for air and getting used to the dryness and rawness of her throat.

"Sam," Nurse Jackie said in a soothing manner, "I'm going to unbind you from the bed now. Would you like that?"

Would she like that? Seriously? Of course she would like to be unchained from her bed! What kind of question is that? But instead of saying all of that, Sam simply nodded her head yes once again.

As Nurse Jackie was undoing her chains, Sam tried to get a better look at the other people in the room. Her eyes were still getting adjusted to the appalling brightness of the room.

From what Sam could tell one of the men was in his forties or fifties. He had a weather worn face and guarded eyes. He was standing next to a younger woman in probably her thirty's or forties. She was beautiful and very pregnant by the look of it.

Standing off to the side was the other man. He had long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail at the back of his neck. He had a stiff demeanor, like he was trying not to get his hopes up. His face was impassive and knowing what he was thinking would have been downright impossible, except his eyes said it all. For some reason, looking into his eyes made Sam sad.

As Sam was taking inventory of the people surrounding her bed, Nurse Jackie had finished unchaining her from her bed. The first thing Sam did with her new freedom to move is stretch. Her muscles felt like they hadn't been moved in days and she really disliked that feeling.

Using her amazing intelligence (common sense), Sam deduced that she was in the hospital. What she couldn't figure out was why.

"Honey, would you like a glass of water?" asked Nurse Jackie.

Now that she mentioned it, yeah. Sam could use a glass of water, she was parched. So, she nodded her head, yet again.

While Nurse Jackie was getting the water for Sam, everyone in the room waited in tense silence. Sam didn't know what they were so tense about. After all, she's the one in the hospital with no recognition of how she came to be there.

About a minute later, Nurse Jackie came back with a glass of water with a lid on it and a straw. She felt like she was five, but in the end her thirst won out over her animosity of looking stupid.

As Sam was drinking, the pregnant woman walked forward until she was standing right next to Sam. She put her hand on Sam's and looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"Sam," she began tearfully, "you have no idea how great it is to have you awake again. We're sure that you have plenty of questions, and we're here to answer them for you."

Whoa, hold on a second! Awake again? Did that mean that she wasn't awake before? How long was she not awake? What day is it? Did she have questions? Heck yeah she had some flippin' questions!

There was one question that had been nagging at Sam since she woke up, so she decided to ask that one first.

"Um…" Sam started, only to stop to clear her throat. It sounded like she had been smoking a pack a day for twenty years.

After clearing her throat Sam tried again. "I do have some questions."

All three of her visitors looked at each other in relief as soon as she spoke. It looked like they had feared that she wouldn't be able to or something equally asinine.

They all nodded in unison, urging her to continue. _They kind of look like a row of bobble heads, _Sam thought to herself.

" There's one thing I really need to know," Sam said after getting all her thoughts in order. More nodding accompanied this statement, reinforcing the bobble head thought.

"What is it that you need to know, Sam?" the mother asked when Sam didn't continue.

Sam hesitated. She didn't know why, but she dreaded having to ask them this.

"Who are you?"

**Dun Dun DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Uh Oh! Looks like Sam has a bit of memory loss. Who knows what could happen next!**

**Reviews would be very appreciated. ****J**

**P.S. This chapter is dedicated to my very good friend that is constantly bugging me to update my story. I hope it helps him realize that things can always get worse and that, in the end, his life isn't all that bad. Lots of Love, buddy. 3**


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